She tried to remember what she had eaten that night. Maybe she should go to her car and grab the pack of gum she always kept stashed there.

She was sidetracked when Stud and Train started talking about his new bike.

“Have you decided what color you want to paint it?”

Train turned toward her. “What do you think?”

“Black,” she answered without thinking.

“Can’t be black. That’s Stud’s bike’s color.”

“Why does that matter?”

“When I race him again, it’ll be easier for you to see which one of us is in the lead.”

Stud laughed. “Should I be worried?”

“Yes.” Train placed a possessive hand on her thigh. “It’s hard for a man to see his woman rooting for another man, even if you like him.”

“Can’t say I blame you. It’s why I started racing again. Sex Piston didn’t give me the time of day until she saw one of my races.”

Sex Piston didn’t deny the accusation because it was the truth. Stud had been going nowhere in his attempts to catch her until she had seen the race they had all gone to.

“Watching you race might have gotten you in my bed, but it was your kids that let you steal my heart.”

Stud leaned down to whisper something into Sex Piston’s ear that had love simmering in her eyes.

“How did the conference go with your girls’ teacher?” Train asked, turning to Stud and taking his attention away from Sex Piston.

“Sex Piston and I decided we don’t want them to become foreign exchange students. It’s an excellent program, but we don’t feel comfortable having another couple we don’t know take responsibility for them. The girls haven’t talked to us in a week.”

Train nodded in agreement. “If I had kids, I wouldn’t have been able to do it, either.” He stared down at the beer in his hand. “You remember Penni, Shade’s sister?”

Stud’s mouth twitched. “Yes, she’s hard to forget.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t think you know this, but Penni has a friend who was born in Paris. Grace moved to the United States when she was older. She actually works with Penni. I mentioned to Penni that you two were having a problem trying to decide what to do, and she talked to Grace. She called a friend of hers who still lives in Paris, and she offered to let the girls stay with her for the summer or a school term. Seems when her daughter was vacating in America, she was killed. She said it would give her something to do—taking the girls shopping and sightseeing.”

Sex Piston and Stud stared at Train, speechless at the offer. Killyama melted against Train.

“I’m sure Jonas could check her out for you before you two decide whether that would be an option worth considering. If you want, I can text you her information. She said to think it over, and if you decide not to do it, she wouldn’t mind letting your family visit for a vacation. You would have to pay for your plane tickets and expenses, but it would save you money on hotel rooms.”

Killyama gave Sex Piston the drink she hadn’t touched yet, watching the stunned woman suck it down in one gulp. Then Stud and Sex Piston stared at each other. For once, she let Stud take the lead.

“That’s very generous. If you text me her number, I’ll check her out and talk to Sex Piston before I contact her. If we watch our pennies and save, we might actually be able to take them ourselves if we take her up on her offer and stay with her.”

“I hope it works out for you. I’m sure it sucks with the girls giving you the silent treatment.”

“I can handle that. It’s when they start charging us for babysitting that I get mad. Tonight, they’re charging me twenty bucks an hour, a piece for Rocky and Star. They offered to babysit Fat Louise’s baby for free, just to rub it in.”

“That’s why, when I have kids, I’m only having boys,” Train joked.

“Take it from me, boys are a handful,” Beth disagreed as her and Razer joined the conversation. “Chance and Noah have me afraid of having more children. Lily, Evie, and Stori are the only ones who can babysitting for us anymore.”

“They aren’t that bad. They’re just a little rambunctious,” Lily spoke out in her nephews’ defense.

“I don’t mind babysitting if they can’t help you out,” Killyama offered.

Beth gave her a warm look. “I know. They still ask when you’re coming to babysit them again.”

“When did you babysit them?” Train asked.

“I don’t know … A couple of times.” Killyama looked at him curiously. His troubled expression had her wondering what he was thinking. Did he think she couldn’t handle the two boys? Like Lily said, they were rambunctious, but they weren’t any worse than all four of Sex Piston’s kids.

Train stood up, asking her to come with him.

Letting him take her hand, she followed him to where the members were dancing.

“Something wrong?”

“No,” he answered shortly, staring across the club room. When she saw his attention was on the women, she began moving stiffly against him.

“Dude, if you want to dance with another bitch, I can leave.”

“I want to dance with you. I just had something on my mind.” He shook off whatever was bothering him, his eyes once again intent on her.

“You know, if it works out with Meri and Keri, you’re going to become Sex Piston’s new best friend.”

“I doubt that. You pretty much have that job sealed.”

“Sex Piston is my best friend, but I’m not hers. She doesn’t pick favorites.”

“Women always pick favorites. They say they don’t, but they do,” he ruminated out loud.

She didn’t question him, trying to be sensitive, which was hard for her. Was he thinking about his sisters when he had said that? Or his mother? She couldn’t blame him for feeling resentful that his mother had chosen his father over the safety of his sisters. Or was he thinking about the women in the club?

She stared around the room as Train had done a few minutes ago, wondering which man was the women’s favorite. It was a toss-up. She thought it might be Train, but she was biased because he was the most attractive to her. However, the other women had more intimate details that could make another more attractive. Sasha had certainly been able to list Train’s attributes. Shade, Rider, and Viper wouldn’t have a problem finding a bed to share, either. She would have to ask Beth or Lily the next time they had their monthly lunch date.

Killyama almost lost her balance in her borrowed high heels when she saw some of the women avert their eyes when she was caught staring directly at them.

She got a deathly sick feeling in her stomach. Train had wanted to know when she had babysat Beth’s kids in the past, because he was worried she might have seen something when she was coming and going from Beth’s house.

He had said women chose favorites. That meant he didn’t think the men did. In fact, Train didn’t need to pick a favorite woman. Her man had done them all.

25

“Show me where the restroom is.” Killyama commandeered Beth as soon as the men left to play a game of pool.